Green Wash Ltd TFA Compost Thermometer

The title says it all. It is much easier to use than any of my conventional soil thermometers and produces identical readings, but thanks to the large dial on top it can be read without removing from the soil. It's also long enough to go through the vent in the top of my electric propagator so I can take a temperature reading without removing the top. It's not at all waterproof though so dont leave it where it will get wet.It arrived on time even though it was packed in the now famous enormous Amazon cardboard box

Though intended for compost temperature measurement, which I will use it for next year, I bought it now (winter) to monitor soil temperature at around 35 to 40 cms depth. I checked its accuracy against a laboratory thermometer using iced water and it was accurate at the temperature of interest for me which is circa 0 to 5 degC. Also accurate at ambient temp. It looks to be well made and appears robust.............. time will tell. I am pleased with the item particularly at this price.

One morning I woke up with a question seared into my mind.How hot is soil?It stuck with me for the entire day. The very question itself raised numerous others. What soil? This soil? That soil? Soil in another country? Soil deep down? How did I want the answer, as a numerical score of a universally accepted unit or more abstractly such as 'warmer than a beagle's nose in the summertime?'Ultimately I decided I wanted to know how hot my soil was at different times of the year and in turn I realised this might help me know if and when it might be a safe time to start planting things in said soil without them dying. So maybe my subconscious was just trying to give me a very obvious hint to a problem and as ever my addled neurosis just needlessly complicated things.Anyway, as ever, Amazon had the answer so I bought this and another similar device with slightly more comical appearance (it had a red blob on top and looked as if an incredibly small clown had been sacrificed in its creation) and never looked back. Admittedly this is not really meant for testing your soil but rather for checking your compost heap is hot in the middle or not which in turn tells you whether its being a compost heap or a big pile of slightly damp stuff. This is handy because I too have a compost heap and had forgotten how I had also often wondered over the temperature of its innards. I wonder no more! Indeed, my compost heap is warm inside. You might even say hot in certain circumstances.I wouldn't leave it out in said compost heap even if it were condensation proof. Would you leave 8 british pounds in your compost heap, just lying there? No, you wouldn't. Metal doesn't compost and fivers are plastic now.

At last I can tell when my compost bins are working... once the temperature drops I know they need turning or watering, usually both. Before it was a guessing game. The product works very well. It arrived promptly. This was one of my first purchases on Amazon (apart from Kindle books) and I will be shopping again.

Disappointed. Not waterproof even though it’s meant to be an outdoor compost thermometer. It’s had condensation inside for weeks.

Started using thermometer in January. After only three weeks inside condensation makes it difficult to read but this doesn’t matter to much as dial is stuck on about 12 degrees. Not worth the one star. Advise to stay away from make/type and buy an hermetically sealed one.

Bought this product less than 2 years ago and kept it inside.The core seems to have snapped and now the 'head' spins about and the temperature gauge goes with it!Now completely useless as a thermometer - but I might use it to pin out lines of string...

As described and perfect for checking the temperature of a compost heap. Will purchase a second for a fathers day present.